jupiter

Great stuff again. Cheers Bob

Awesome stuff Bob. Many thanks!

Can't wait to see it launched from PinballX. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=640281392659591

Love the space invaders

Thanks for considering

Oh no - that's a shame - there are around 100 of us

It looks like you have wiped the Visual Pinball parameters section of your INI file. Should be this: Parameters=/play -"[TABLEPATH]\[TABLEFILE]"

I am glad I went through the exercise as I get all the nice pros of proper names like you said. Itb won't affect many users and for those affected creating the batch file to rename my UVPs and PNGs wasn't a big deal either. As long as people keep a copy of the old XML anyone can do the same. It helps to use a programmers editor though with column copy and a text search that can pipe all matching text to window (ie: search for <description> in old XML and new XML, copy matching lines to new file and strip out old name, new name. Use column copy paste mode to 'join' old name and new name, add a rename to start of each line.). Thanks

I should have said before I couldn't find a pattern. Is there any additional logging I can add? If not I will try a smaller subset of tables to see if I can spot a pattern.

Hi Tom I have a fast Core i7 PC with SSD drive and only about 8 windows services running. All tables normally load instantly, but occasionally I experience a long 10 second or so delay where the arcade ambiance sounds continue playing before my own LaunchBeforeExecutable AHK script runs. Here you can see several fast table launches, however when I launch LaserWar there is a 10-second delay 'Disposing Display' before my own script is even launched. Do you have any idea what it can be? It is an issue I have had for several versions of PinballX now. Thanks in advance. 20:12:31.2 26/09/2013: PinballX - Version 1.6220:12:31.2 26/09/2013: Loading Settings20:12:31.2 26/09/2013: Initialize Component20:12:31.4 26/09/2013: Initialize Display20:12:31.6 26/09/2013: Created DirectX BackGlass Window20:12:31.7 26/09/2013: Hiding Cursor20:12:31.7 26/09/2013: Hiding Taskbar20:12:31.7 26/09/2013: Loading PlugIns20:12:31.7 26/09/2013: Load Game List20:12:31.7 26/09/2013: Loading Database: Future Pinball20:12:31.7 26/09/2013: Loading Database: Visual Pinball20:12:31.7 26/09/2013: Loading Custom Database: Copy of Visual Pinball20:12:31.7 26/09/2013: Loading Custom Database: Electro Mechanical20:12:31.7 26/09/2013: Loading Custom Database: PinballFX220:12:31.8 26/09/2013: Finding and matching artwork and videos20:12:34.3 26/09/2013: Loading Game Statistics and Scores20:12:34.7 26/09/2013: Initialize Audio20:12:34.7 26/09/2013: Set Keyboard Controls20:12:34.7 26/09/2013: Initialize Joystick20:12:34.7 26/09/2013: No Joysticks Attached20:12:34.7 26/09/2013: Started20:13:36.5 26/09/2013: Launch System20:13:36.5 26/09/2013: Waiting for threads20:13:36.5 26/09/2013: Showing Loading Screen20:13:36.6 26/09/2013: Disposing display20:13:46.6 26/09/2013: C:\HyperPin\Config\bring_to_top.exe C:\Pinball\Tables\Dragon_Interflip_AR_B2S.vpt20:13:46.7 26/09/2013: C:\Pinball\VPinball.exe /play -"C:\Pinball\Tables\Dragon_Interflip_AR_B2S.vpt"20:13:46.7 26/09/2013: C:\HyperPin\vpauto.exe 20:14:40.5 26/09/2013: Created DirectX BackGlass Window20:14:41.8 26/09/2013: Exit System Control Pressed20:14:45.5 26/09/2013: Created DirectX BackGlass Window20:15:06.3 26/09/2013: Launch System20:15:06.3 26/09/2013: Waiting for threads20:15:06.3 26/09/2013: Showing Loading Screen20:15:06.4 26/09/2013: Disposing display20:15:06.5 26/09/2013: C:\HyperPin\Config\bring_to_top.exe C:\Pinball\Tables\Full_B2S.vpt20:15:06.5 26/09/2013: C:\Pinball\VPinball.exe /play -"C:\Pinball\Tables\Full_B2S.vpt"20:15:06.5 26/09/2013: C:\HyperPin\vpauto.exe 20:15:57.8 26/09/2013: Created DirectX BackGlass Window20:15:58.9 26/09/2013: Exit System Control Pressed20:16:02.5 26/09/2013: Created DirectX BackGlass Window20:16:21.7 26/09/2013: Launch System20:16:21.7 26/09/2013: Waiting for threads20:16:21.7 26/09/2013: Showing Loading Screen20:16:21.9 26/09/2013: Disposing display20:16:31.9 26/09/2013: C:\HyperPin\Config\bring_to_top.exe C:\Pinball\Tables\LaserWar.vpt20:16:31.9 26/09/2013: C:\Pinball\VPinball.exe /play -"C:\Pinball\Tables\LaserWar.vpt"20:16:31.9 26/09/2013: C:\HyperPin\vpauto.exe 20:16:37.2 26/09/2013: Found PinMAME ROM: lwar_a83.nv20:17:09.8 26/09/2013: Created DirectX BackGlass Window20:19:30.7 26/09/2013: Created DirectX BackGlass Window20:19:32.0 26/09/2013: Exit System Control Pressed20:19:35.8 26/09/2013: Created DirectX BackGlass Window20:19:38.9 26/09/2013: Exiting20:19:39.0 26/09/2013: Showing Taskbar20:19:39.0 26/09/2013: Unhiding Mouse Cursor20:19:39.0 26/09/2013: Launching Exit Program: SetPinballWall.bat20:19:39.0 26/09/2013: C:\HyperPin\Jukebox\PinJukeLaunch\SetPinballWall.bat 20:19:39.0 26/09/2013: Disposing Plugins20:19:39.0 26/09/2013: Saving Settings

Unfortunately it was developed a few years ago and the programmer manowar doesn't hang around anymore. It's no big deal most people new on the scene use b2s/directb2d nowadays. I just wanted to warn people. Cheers

Just a side point. The Description is read from the XML by the UVPServer and it looks for a backglass .PNG and .UVP file with a name of the Description. It would have been nicer if it used the name but oh well

1.60 release note says: "The game list manager now allows you to select a game name description from an included pinball database and will automatically set the manufacturer, year and game type." Thanks Tom - this is a great feature and allowed me to assign the date/type info very quickly to hundreds of tables - something I have put off for years. There was one side affect for your info. I still use a lot of VP tables using UVP. Unfortunately because UVP uses the game description rather than name in the XML (and your utility correctly changes the desc) this stops the UVP launching until you rename the UVP and backglass PNG. As I tested this feature on one table I was aware of the side affect so worked around it by taking the old XML file and new XML file with amended descriptions and used Ultraedit to quickly create a batch file to rename the .UVP and PNG for the 100s of files. Maybe the game manager could offer something to rename the files where it finds a UVP, or it just captures the old name, new name in a .text file?

In case anyone missed it a real Pinball DMD will be supported using the PinDMD interface. 3-screens will be sdupported as well if you don't' have a real DMD.

I am not getting any crashes. I am on WinXP 32-bit though.

Hi Tom Just tested it and this version seems to work well with B2S, DirectB2S and DMDs. I noticed you can exit a table after just launching it a lot earlier now (rather than after a few seconds) which is great. Cheers

I found a fix. My cabinets Exit button was mapped to ESC. What happened was when I hit Exit button the PinballX menu showed 'Exit/Resume' but when clicking resume the backgkass never returned. In the task mgr I could see that the backglass exe is killed the moment I hit Exit. This is because the ESC keycloses the b2s exe. I reprogrammed my iPac to make the cabinet Exit button use 'E' and changed the PinballX INI file. I also needed to remap my Jukebox, etc.The problem may have existed before however I probably never resumed a game before. Thanks

With 1.56 focus problems are fixed. Thanks I noticed with a b2s exe or a directB2s table hitting exit goes to the pause menu but quits the backglass too. Is there a way around this anyone?

The video - for some reason it isn't showing in my post above.

How about a 21st century virtual pinball sim to launch from our new 21st century PinballX frontend? What a light show! We must support their kickstarter! http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/500643708/pro-pinball-timeshock-the-ultra-edition-0/?ref=kicktraq

Feature Request: ability to define two keys to increase/decrease windows volume (which works in PinballX and while a table is loaded). I currently launch a simple AHK script via the VP 'launchbefore' options to set two AHK hotkeys to control the windows VolumeUp and VolumeDown. This is handy as it controls both the VP table volume, VPinMame volume, and other Pinball Sim volumes all in one.

There was an issue with most VP tables launched in Hyperpin via FPLaunch for users who had switched on FXAA in the nVidia control panel, and a workaround was posted here: http://www.vpforums.org/index.php?showtopic=21413 Unfortunately I am getting this frequently in PinballX too where nearly every launch I get blur. Alt-tabbing seems to solve it so I suspected it is related to VP getting focus, bring to top, etc. I created a workaround by writing a small AHK script and adding it to the 'launchbefore' INI file options. It isn't clean but what I do is wait a few seconds, launch Notepad, and kill notepad. This forces a refresh of VP as Notepad becomes the active window, and then VP becomes active and then the blur goes. Maybe something could be added to PinballX to bring VP to front maybe. Tricky if Tom can't reproduce it though. I use 1.39. PS: I tried other things in AHK like set the BringToTop property on the VPPlayer, making it the active window, etc but only the above 'Notepad' fix worked.

Sorry Tom. My mistake - I accidentally ran the setup in the old Pinballx directory, rather than my HP directory where I install to now.

The pinballx.net page has a link to the Forums 'General' section'. Maybe it should link to the parent section so newcomers know there are more sections in the forum.

New Feature Request - Themed Wheel Underlay Depending on Filter Selection Ability to show a different underlay.png for each filter selected from the wheel. This way we can have a themed wheel depending on which manufacturer, decade, favourite list we are viewing. The default underlay.png could be used if nothing defined. The png file name could simply be the name of the filter selected from the menu. underlay_60s.png underlay_70s.png underlay_80s.png underlay_90s.png underlay_Bally.png underlay_Gottlieb.png underlay_Williams.png underlay_EMs.png (user-defined favourite XML) underlay_SolidState.png (user-defined favourite XML) underlay_DMD.png (user-defined favourite XML) Very rough example attached for Gottlieb.